Week 8

What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of
everyday writing?

Morris describes cemeteries as ironic places where life and death clash.  One one hand there a cemetery is a place of death because dead people are buried there.  Also people do not enjoy visiting cemeteries because they are so grim and bleak.  On the other hand  cemeteries are covered in grass, trees flowers and people dead and alive.  People bring the dead flowers in honor of the fallen person.  People do this in order to represent life in something or someone which has none in it.  Morris and tombstone's texts are everyday writing because they are not institutionalized and are makeshift.  Also they contribute the fact that they serve a purpose to spread the word of information or other forms of text.  Cemeteries are the most permanent form of Everyday Writing.  Cemeteries last hundreds of years they last threw wars, famines, natural disasters and everything else that happens on earth. Tombstones display the very most important things about a person. I say this because they are the words that describe who you were when you were alive for all future generations to see.  A tombstone is essentially ones last words that will be remembered for ever.

Week 8 Journal

Writing is an art that produces responses from its audiences. According to Morris, graveyards, like writing produces "overt responses to death reveal world views, cultural premises, manners of organizing, parsing, combining, interpreting and response to the world." Morris says that the various elements that go into organizing a graveyard are synonymous. Graveyards are strategically placed by churches and community centers so that there is a large population of people to view the memorial. These graveyards, serve a purpose and send a message that life is just preparation for death and that death is inevitable.

Walking through a graveyard, there are many things a person can notice and many feelings a person can feel. Based on the location, mood, landscape, and weather, graveyards can feel creepy, sad, or relaxing. Each different stone contains information and all of that information is unique to the person it's memorializing.

Considering a graveyard as a piece of everyday writing is an argument that could go either way. Some may say that, like a letter, each grave stone is unique with a specific purpose and a specific audience. Others may argue that the graveyard is not everyday writing because it is not commonplace. You need very specific things to occur in order for a grave to be produced. Someone needs to pass away, people need to organize the ceremony, and someone needs to create the gravestone.

Week 8 Journal

In death on display tombstones and other relics honoring the dead are considered to be everyday writing. Morris makes references to how the objects put in place to honor the dead reflect a lot about the person’s ethos. I agree with the extent that a person who sees the grave might be able to determine how rich and powerful the deceased person in question was, but not much more information can be determined than that by the average person. Morris also brings up the cultural aspect involved in burial and how tombstones and memorials can reveal a lot about a culture. Social distinctions can be made from the type of burial ground as Morris mentions that there are several different kinds.

                I personally disagree with the idea that tombstones, memorials, and other kinds of tributes to the deceased are forms of everyday writing. The perception that all gravestones are unique is incorrect. Think of all the graves dug for US soldiers that are simply decorated with a white cross and the fallen patriot’s name. The generality in cemetery designs (from what I’ve seen in the US) is quite apparent when they are compared with one another. The most unique burial sites would indisputably be the great pyramids in Egypt, but they would have to be considered far from everyday.

                I don’t believe the tombstones and memorials made for the dead encompass the rhetorical qualities that we as a class determined examples of everyday writing should have. I believe the actual act of the person dying to have a greater effect on people and create change. Just because the tributes to the dead relate to the event of the person dying does not give them association to the everydayness that the act of dying achieves.

Week 8 Journal

What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of everyday writing?

Morris sees tombstones as everyday writing. He states that it is there for the propose of separating the living and the dead, but as a memory. The memory can be interpreted by two audiences: the family viewing it and a memory of their loved ones lives, and outsiders as a memory to all of us that we should remember death because it is out fate.  He focuses on the purpose of graveyards to remind us that out bodies are ephemeral but these grave sights are forever. He also states that the placement of graveyards are there for people to see. Common places for graveyards are churches, towns, and cities which are all inhabited by humans. We are left to interpret the individuality of each stone by the name, shape, surrounding objects, and saying that were engraved that are unique to each person.  Grave sights that are displayed as a garden give us the inspirational view on death, that the death of one is life for many other things. Some of these graves contain eye catching structures to grab the attention of anyone passing by. Like other forms of everyday writing graves are have a purpose, have a specific location,  an audience and individual unique factors surrounding it.  

Week 8

What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of

everyday writing?                       

Morris contributes a view that memorials and tombstones are everyday writing. He expresses that memorials are designed to have an intended audience as well as a purpose for being formed. The audience for a tombstone is generally a family member or friends of the deceased that is being honored. The audience is also intended to be in a specific state when they are encountering the memorial, which is most likely, reminiscent or mourning. The purpose behind a tombstone is to commemorate or celebrate the life of a person who is no longer with us. There is no set format for how to set up a tombstone; the family or person who creates a tombstone can decide what to put on said tombstone and how it is arranged. The style of the tombstone itself also says a lot about the person. Some families have a specific style tombstone that is used to represent that family’s history where as a cross can represent religion or another type of tombstone can represent a background that they come from.

            Tombstones as a form of everyday writing may seem like a stretch from some of the other examples we have examined such as letters. However, if you think about the personal aspect of a tombstone and how no tow tombstones are exactly the same, even if the shape of the tombstones look the same the writing on them will be different or at least have a different personal meaning to the text. In that way a tombstone is an everyday writing, there is no set standard or form they are required to meet.  

Week 8

Every person has or will experience a death of someone they know and love. Death is a universal occurrence and so is the mourning that follows such tragedies. Gravescapes, memorials and the landscape surrounding them, is a form of communication. Morris says, "Gravescapes-memorials and the landscape contain- ing them-provide an ideal setting for unraveling such patterns of communication because each memorial is a sacred symbol given both to the deceased and to the living." Meaning that the memorials communicate the past to the people in the future. For example, a memorial on the side of the road tells passer bys how the person died and when. Then when people add flower and pictures and letters to the memorial they add to the conversation by expressing how greatly they were loved and by whom. The memorials may not have very many words but when studied it can be read. Due to the fact that there is not a lot of actually writing included, besides the basic information of who died and when, I do not believe memorials can be seen as everyday writing because they can be redone multiple times.

Week 8 Journal

The author of the article contributes to our understanding of everyday writing by (at first) explaining how we as humans think about death. The concept that we draw from personal backgrounds/experiences/beliefs generally will form our opinion on the subject of death. He then goes on to talk about tombstones. Although you need to get materials in order to create one, I do believe that tombstones are indeed a form of everyday writing. Similar to that of graffiti, they are on display, and sometimes they are within view of the general public. You can’t really argue with the author when he states that a tombstone is a “convenient place to dispose of the dead”. It certainly does serve as a deeper significance. Similar to how a scrapbook serves greater significance than just a bunch of colors and pictures slapped together, and similar to how graffiti often times is more than just a bunch of gibberish on some random wall or table. A tombstone serves as the memorial of one that has passed away. A tombstone means a lot to a select few people, just as a scrapbook may to some people and how people may gravitate towards a particular piece of graffiti on the street. Some of those things lead me to believe that a tombstone can in fact be considered a piece of everyday writing. 

Week 8 Journal

Morris contributes to our understanding of everyday writing by telling us that graveyards are a way of separating the living from the dead, and the living always know what graveyards are for because almost all graveyards look the same and serve one purpose:  house the bodies of the deceased. Each individual gravestone signifies the life of a person, sometimes with a quote or small explanation of who they were, which makes gravestones memorials. We automatically associate gravestones with death because we know what they are for, it is something we have seen before and can instantly recognize, which makes it everyday writing. Graveyards are always in a community, and some people pass one on their way to work or school every day. Others make it a habit to visit deceased loved ones to lay fresh flowers or water planted ones on the grave. My grandma in Germany waters the family grave every week, and so do many others that live in her village. Whether they personally know the residents of the grave or not, the flowers on the grave are always kept alive or replaced by new ones when they do not return the next spring. Morris talks about different types of grave markers, some being the classic round-topped headstone and others sculptures. Perhaps the people whose grave markers that are either sculptures or are large and made from expensive stone come from a family with money. If they did not they may have been very loved and their family decided they deserved a fancy headstone. Those with plain headstones might come from a family of little money or may have been disliked. What a person was like in real life can be reflected through their headstone, whether it is through what is written or simply the headstone itself. Graveyards speak volumes, and the pages are the gravestones inside.

Week 8 Journal

No matter how you may look at them, tombstones are, in fact, a piece of everyday writing, as they may contain rhetorical elements and communicate a message toward others (Primarily the living). Tombstones are also a public entity, as they can be found in large numbers throughout almost every major town or city. This publicity helps aid in the stones sending their message to a large audience, which is the living. Though all tombstones are aimed toward specific members of the audience, such as family and friends of the deceased individual, the public location of the stone allows anyone to lay eyes on it. According to Richard Morris's essay, "Death on Display", tombstones may be used for a variety of purposes, such as remembering a loved one or to remind the living that our permanent home is not here on Earth, or even both. Tombstones can serve as a crucial reminder to the living that death is, in fact, real, and we must embrace its reality, for it is a concept that is easily overlooked in society today (that is, until it takes one of our very own). tombstones can also signify the beauty of nature and stabilize a connection between the dead and the living, as certain aspects of the stones can signify meaning. All in all, each gravestone is different in its own way, rehearsing cultural lessons which radiate in multiple directions. Its just a matter of whether or not a gravestone catches the eye of a certain part of the overall audience or not. Either way, Tombstones aren't going anywhere, as they are located in a specific location and will stay in said location to commemorate our loved ones, or remind us of the overall sanctity of life and nature.

Week 8 Journal

What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of everyday writing?

All throughout the piece, Morris mentions the impact that location, purpose and audience have on the effect that a death display has. For example, he described three different types of cemeteries: the garden display, the lawn cemetery, and the memento mori gravescapes. Each one of these very diverse burying sites have different impacts because of the design and nature of the tombstones that are placed within the confines of them. While the garden display graves focus on nature and beauty, the lawn cemeteries focus on efficiency and homogeneous graves, and the memento mori present short reminders of death along with a decaying appearance and gloomy feel. If tombstones from these sites were to be switched in regards to location, they would not seem to belong and would hold a different meaning. We have come to know this in class because of our knowledge of locations' influence on conveying a message. In addition, Morris also mentioned that in some cases, the designers of the death displays would incorporate eye-catching structures, large displays or gates to differentiate themselves from the graves that surround the specific deceased individual whom these displays are built for. However, because of their sometimes ostentatious displays, one can infer that the audience intended for this everyday text differs from the audience of a simple plaque that is level to the ground and is not meant to attract attention. Perhaps in this case the audience would depend upon the way that the death display is made and how much attention it is expected to get. This is closely associated with purpose in that what is written and displayed, and where it is placed depending upon this content, gives the audience insight into the message that was intended to be conveyed to others, and also whom the message was meant for. If there is a short and ambiguous phrase printed on a tombstone, the message is most likely for the general audience who need not know anything about this person, and therefore the purpose is not so much centered around the person but on death itself. If there is an explanation of death or a noted  accomplishment made in the deceased honor, then most likely the purpose is to bring attention away from the idea of death and instead back to the moments when that person was alive.

In these ways, Morris and tombstones contributes to our understanding of everyday writing because it gives us further confirmation as to what we have continuously been exposed to through the readings and discussions that we have for class; the impact of things such as location, audience and purpose on the effect of an everyday text, in this case, tombstones. 

Week 8 Journal

Week 8

Morris explains how there is a cultural and rhetorical significance in the practice of commemorating the dead by using tombstones. Graveyards are a “convenient place to dispose of the dead” according to Morris, but there is a deeper purpose behind identifying each grave with a unique tombstone and grave site. Additionally, there is something to be said of the decaying conditions of graveyards and the effort taken to separate the grave site from the outside world. Grave sites are memorials that speak to visitors a singular purpose, a tradition of dedicating and memorializing our lost loved ones. In this way, tombstones are everyday writing. Everyday writing serves a purpose that is specific to the rhetor and the audience. In this case, the audience is the loved ones and rhetor is creator of the tombstone, all with the same purpose in mind to remember the dead. Furthermore, Graveyards are a common site. Almost every town has one by default.  Morris goes on to explain the manifestation and purpose of grave sites and their significance in respect to the iconography, mottos, and inscriptions. Special attention is made to the significance of time and identify. The two most important elements of a tombstone are the name which identifies the body and the years that define the life. The years can be taken into account to postulate what the person’s life was like and generate many questions. Did the purpose live a long life? Did they die young? Are they buried with family members? Were they a military veteran? How did they die? All of these important questions stem from simply observing the grave site and taking note to any and all inscriptions and symbols included. Tombstones limit the message that can be delivered due to space, thus special attention must be made to what was deemed important enough to include on the headstone. Burial sites are an important aspect of any culture and vary greatly from culture to culture. By utilizing the space provided on the tombstone, one can successfully commemorate a loved one and send a message that fulfills the purpose of paying respects to the dead. 

Week 8 journal

What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of everyday writing?

In class, we have depicted the meaning of everday writing. It consists of thoughts and ideas that are either publicly or privately shown to a certain group of people. After reading Morris’s article I think it is safe to say that tombstones can be added to our list of what we consider to be a form of everyday writing. When we discussed graffiti and tattoos in class, we discussed that the certain symbols displayed that have a certain meaning to the artists, were considered a form of everyday writing. The same thing goes for tombstones, as Morris discusses, which sometimes have symbols such as skulls on them. Although the public might not understand the meaning of the symbols, they have a deeper meaning to the certain group of people who knew the person who died. 

Although some type of artist created whatever was on the tombstone, I would still consider the artist the family member/friend who is having it created. Although the actual artist is carving it, the actual companion was the one who came up with the ideas, just as we discussed with tattoos. Another way tombstones contriube to our understanding of everyday writing is because of the audience. Although it’s available to the public to see, its really meant and will only be understood by a certain group of people. 

Week 8 Journal

What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of everyday writing?

Morris contributes to our understanding of everyday writing because he divulges to us how tombstones connect the living and the dead through rhetoric. In his essay on graves, he speaks specifically about the communication that they offer to the living and about the constant reminders of how the people lying underneath the tombstone should be remembered. This consistency is a daily, everyday reminder to those who visit the graveyard that their loved ones lay there. This allows the reader of the tombstone to connect to the tombstone in a very real and very everyday (from what we've defined in class) way.

Tombstones are public, whether families and individuals want them to be or not. This creates a public communication between people who visit cemeteries and the people who created the tombstones for their loved ones who've passed. From what Morris says, the living (i.e. those who are viewers), in essence, then can respond to what is written on the tombstone, whether the tombstone says death should be praised or whether we should take each day and live it to the fullest. Tombstones then can become everyday to those who experience these emotions because they pass onto others the experiences they've had.

The original communication here is between the viewer and the rhetor of the tombstone. It initiates the same kind of rhetorical situation that a zine or a scrapbook has. It creates the situation for one to pass on their memories or their ideas to others, creating an everlasting loop of communication. And in some ways this becomes someone's family history or it becomes a culture to those involved with the communication about the tombstone. This situation obviously being the remembering of someone's death. The tombstone and it's rhetor establish patterns of communication that can last for generations.

Week 8 journal

I think Morris's article offers a unique addition to our understanding of everyday writing. For me it doesn't seem correct to add gravestones and cemeteries to our definition. Morris often mentions the rhetorical situation of a grave stone, similar to a piece of everyday writing. Morris tells us that certain cemeteries were set up as a reminder that our time here on earth is short and it is not where humans plan to stay. While to some cemeteries served as a reminder of death but to others they serve as a message of something better waiting in the afterlife and a reason to live every day to the fullest. Morris also mentions certain symbols that also can serve as reminders of foreseeable death. such as skull and cross bones. Grave stones have an audience and often a rhetorical situation. But most of his assertions are based off historical facts, many thing have changed now. While gravestones still can serve as a memory of a person for loved ones, they are no longer very public. Graveyards are no longer located at the center of town in most places therefore their purpose of reminding the general public of death is no longer very applicable. Also I have not seen many large artistic statues in graveyards anymore, which could discount Morris' claim that they serve as a message to the public. Many of the practices he references are nearly obsolete in modern society.

Death on Display Journal

     When we think of "everyday writing" we have already established that it is one's own personal reflections that may or may not be circulated to the public. Everyday writing is a group of ideas that are communicated to a certain audience, whether it is oneself or a group. We have also established that scrapbooks, letters, and even tattoos are elements of everyday writing. It would only make sense that a graveyard tombstone is evidence as well.
     Tombstones are traditional and cultural aspects that help future generations know about their ancestors. Like print text, each tombstone is original and unique to the deceased person. Each culture, religion, or even family may have one certain element that is apparent on all tombstones. This makes them part of a certain community. Tattoos are a mark on a person's body as tombstones are a mark on a person's life.
     Called "gravescapes" in the text, these memorials "unravel patterns of communication" and "are sacred symbols that reflect both the living and the dead." Historically, graveyards were put in centralized locations, such as community centers, where regular spectators would see them on a consistent basis. This is a very helpful way to 'circulate' the text.
     Tombstones contribute a lot to everyday writing. They help us understand the past. Like the case studies we will be dealing with, tombstones allow for a deeper understanding of a family. For example, in my family, each tombstone has a family crest symbol on it that has been going on for centuries. They are definitely worth looking into and I feel as if one could learn a lot from one tombstone.

Week 7 journal

What do you believe are the 3 most important concepts of the course so far?

And do they align with tattoos? Can we consider tattooing everyday writing?

What everyday writing is, the audience of a piece of everyday writing, and the reason behind a everyday text are what I believe to be the 3 most important concepts of the course. Tattoos can be considered a piece of everyday writing because of the fact the person getting a tattoo is choosing to get one, and choosing what they want to get. But being that you are technically buying a tattoo, or paying for it, it could be argued that it is not everyday. Tattoos can be gotten because that person is trying to take a stand on something, because what they're getting has meaning to them, or simply because they just want a tattoo. To be forced to get a tattoo, to let alone label you, would make tattooing be very institutionalized. The audience of tattoos to me seems most important. First off, you are choosing to get a tattoo in a place that can either be seen, or not be seen. Right off the back you are choosing your audience, and even after the fact you can still choose to hide it. If you were to have a small tattoo on your wrist and your job didn’t allow tattoos, but you got the job, you could cover it up with a long sleeve shirt or a bandage. You're choosing not to show your work audience your tattoo, but if you were in ever day attire you would choose to show it, which is very everyday.

Week 7 Journal

What do you believe are the 3 most important concepts of the course so far?And do they align with tattoos? Can we consider tattooing everyday writing?

I believe that the three most important concepts of the course so far are exigence, or purpose/motivation, audience, or who is expected to read the specific text, and where the text is presented, otherwise known as location. Exigence/motivation is important because it is the catalyst that causes an individual to create an everyday text, and it is the reason that that specific text exists in the first place. Motivation is also important because it influences the location at which the text is displayed. This is due to the fact that depending on what the issue is, an individual, in order to make their text effective, must choose a corresponding place to put it that makes sense and is coherent. The audience is also important because the text, in order to have any effect, must have relevance and be specific to the audience that the author wants to focus on.
These concepts all align with tattoos because behind every tattoo is a story, or a motivation that led that individual to get it. This motivation is, therefore, very important because it led to the creation of the tattoo in the first place. Audience aligns with tattoos as well because depending on what the message of the tattoo is, or how personal it is, the tattoos audience will be specific to this. Audience goes hand in hand with location, because location determines the audience. For example, if the tattoo is really personal and only meant for the individual's own eyes to see, the location will be more hidden and less exposed than a tattoo meant for everyones eyes, like one on the arm or face. 
We can consider this everyday writing because it implements all three of these concepts which we have discussed time and time again in this class. A tattoo is also voluntary and semi casual.

Week 7 Journal

What do you believe are the 3 most important concepts of the course so far? And do they align with tattoos? Can we consider tattooing everyday writing?

            I believe that the three most important concepts of the course so far are the situation, purpose and audience. The situation in which a text is written influences the content of the text. The purpose of the text influences the format of the text and the wording that is used. The intended audience will influence the type of language used in the text and the background information included in the text.

             A tattoo aligns with the three concepts that we have discussed so far. There is a situation behind a tattoo that influences the getting of the tattoo weather it is for a reminder to yourself or a memorial of an event or death. A tattoo of a bible verse would be influenced by a religious event or awakening. Tattoos also have a purpose to them that is only known by the person who gets the tattoo done. The audience of the tattoo is determined by the placement of the tattoo on the person who gets it. If a tattoo is placed on your face the audience is anyone that happens to walk by and sees it. However if the tattoo is placed on a shoulder or somewhere that is covered by skin the audience is the determined by whom the person who has the tattoo shows it too.

            I would say that a tattoo could be a form of everyday writing depending on the purpose for getting the tattoo. If the tattoo is done for a personal reason and is not done from a stencil it could be an everyday writing. There is a personal and unique expression to those style tattoos. If the tattoo is done off of a stencil with a generic meaning the tattoo would not be an everyday writing. Though tattoos are institutional in the training it takes to become a tattoo artist they are also un-institutional in the content of the tattoo.

Journal Week 7 AG

One of the primary aspects of everyday writing that I learned about in this course is for the piece of writing to cause change. Tattoos can certainly cause change; an example would be how people might treat someone with an HIV positive in a different manner than if they didn’t have it. Another important aspect I have learned in this course is for everyday writing to be somewhat unprofessional. This concept is difficult to apply to Tattoos because there are professional tattoo artists but each piece of their work is unique and is influenced by the recipient’s decisions on what kind of tattoo they want. Tattoos can convey very powerful messages without having to use words or be obnoxious (in either size or color) and are something anyone can get, in varying prices and quality, if they desire. A third important concept that I have learned in this course would be the informality usually present in everyday forms of writing.  Are tattoos a form of everyday writing? I would have to say yes because it seems to fit the criteria we have placed for everyday pieces of writing. Tattoos can carry a variety of different meanings and can be found on every kind of person. Tattoos are more unique than other forms of everyday writing in that they are permanent; I would say that most of the other forms of writing we have discussed in class are more temporary than tattoos. Ideally this should mean that more people should see tattoos because of how long they last meaning that they are potentially the most influential piece of everyday writing. The idea that HIV tattoos change how people are treated would be correct since in our concrete definition of everyday writing we determined that they cause change or they have no rhetorical value. The change towards people with the tattoos can be positive or negative but it is definitely there.

Week 7 Journal

The 1^st of what I think would be the three most important concepts of the semester would be everyday writing. That is an easy one simply because I do not remember a single class we have had this semester in which everyday writing has not been discussed. It can be considered one of very few foundations of our course, and I’d definitely consider it THE main concept of the course. Coming in distant second/third, I would go with genre and exigence. Genre is an important concept because we have dealt with a plethora of different ideas/concepts/beliefs that all somewhat derive from a particular genre. We often discuss the many genres that we have either read/experienced in class. Exigence/ rhetorical exigence is a concept that I had never heard of until this course. It has become a very important term, and it is identifiable in almost every situation. Exigence can simply be defined as a problem that cannot change, while rhetorical exigence can be changed. The article on tattoos certainly has relation with regards to the 3 main concepts that I previously discussed. I do believe that tattoo is everyday writing, in large part due to the fact that it is very personal and the farthest thing from being institutionally pressured or mandated. Getting a tattoo falls under the genre of art. Reading the article confirms some of those statements. The exigence in the article is whether those who have contracted certain diseases should be FORCED to get some sort of symbol tattooed on them. That would be the exigence. Having said that, if this actually were the case today, where people with these diseases had no choice but to get the tattoo identifying them as one with the disease, that form of tattooing is no longer considered everyday writing, because the concept of free will and personal intent has been stripped from that person. 

Journal 7

        I believe the three most important concepts of the course so far have been genre, function of texts, and the definition of everyday writing. Through these concepts the idea of everyday writing has been complicated and broadened for me. Texts that I would have never considered articles of writing now make sense in these categories. Tattoos are an example of what this class is teaching me about what everyday writing can be. It seems to me that tattoos are a genre similar to other genres like graffiti. They can be symbols, drawings, quotes, or murals. Their functions can also be similar to other pieces of writing, such as, to remember, to communicate, to express, and to indentify. With this considered,  I do believe, after everything we've covered that tattoos do align with the concepts and idea of everyday writing. If we consider a needle like we would a pen then tattoos are really not that different than what we write in our notebooks or on flyers we hang up. What makes them different is the text on which they are printed, the skin. This serves a purpose that is much different than other examples but still fits in with the definition of everyday writing I have become familiar with. Tattoos are worn on the body by people to express ideas, and as a form of identity for that individual. They are personal, meaning they come from the thoughts of that person and may have a special purpose. They are also permanent pieces of text that can be seen and touched physically. All of these characteristics we have covered as concepts of what everyday writing examples should encompass. Therefore it would seem unreasonable to not include tattoos as everyday writing.

Week 6 Journal

I believe that the three most important concepts we’ve covered thus far are actually the divisions of what defines everyday writing. With my current understanding, I would say they are the importance of having a purpose (or exigence) for writing what ever you’re writing, the importance of that piece of writing not being connected to an institution, and the informality of the actual piece of writing. This being said, would tattooing be everyday writing?

Emily mentioned the difference between institutionalized tattooing of HIV/AIDS victims and tattoo culture as of now. I would have to agree with her and say that tattoo culture as of right now definitely falls under the category of everyday writing, but were we to institutionalize it and make it mandatory for victims to be tattooed, it would no longer be everyday writing. Right now, tattoos (generally) have a purpose to communicate something about the person they reside on. They are not extremely formal as they are worn everywhere. And they are created out of freewill and not because anyone else mandates they be gotten. While the cautionary AIDS tattoo would still have a purpose, when mandated by the government they would be very institutionalized and probably a lot more formal. The “Action=Life” tattoo, or the biohazardous waste symbol, have a certain personality to them, but this is because again, they were made by choice and allowed creative freedom. Were these people forced to get a tattoo of some symbol preapproved by the government to represent HIV/AIDS and then tattooed in a certain area, the creativity and informality would be gone, and so would the tattoo’s identification as everyday writing.